One of the familiar narratives for the promotion of GM crops was that it could help alleviate poverty and hunger, but the real effect deserves closer assessment. instead of producing more food by improving yield--a common perception of how M crops can be used to reduce hunger--the benefit more often consists of saving time and effort in farming, as well as reduced market risks for farmers. The current profiles of GM crops clearly shows that the principal driving force is demand for animal feed (soybean and maize) and oil (soybean and canola) instead of food directly consumed by people.